I need some help my helmet from being dropped on the ground my clear coat is peeling off I like the way my helmet fits what would remove the rest of the clear coat so I could repaint it.

some will tell you will need to replace if you dropped it....

if the rest of the clear isn't peeling, "feather" it out and apply some primer, then refinish.

The insurance adjuster dude wrote me a check for my helmet and took it with him because of 'liability' he said.

Of course it did have deep assed gouges going in one direction about the size of a womans hand.

He also paid for my leather jacket, but left it behind. I have a friend who works with leather as a hobby who says he can replace the shoulder and collar snaps that got ground off and recondition the leather some. That will save a couple hundred for bike parts anyway.



Max

I saw my ortho for my shoulder yesterday and got really tickled when he let me in on how he busted a rib bicycling over the weekend and admitted that he had underestimated what I might be going through just a bit ..

Take the money, buy a new helmet. When a helmet is impacted by an obstacle, and hopefully protecting your head, it compresses,and essentially smashes the material that is supposed to protect you. That is why the insurance representative took your helmet. Your new one will eventually feel more comfy. Try and learn to paint as a hobby to make your helmet look better, but not to cover up an abrasion to the helmet from an accident. Just my 2cents.

Is it messed up from an accident or from simply dropping it? If from an accident replace it. If it's just scratched up from dropping it wet sand, paint and reclear. I'm sure we have all dropped our helmet at one time or another and didn't run out and buy a new one.

Yeah, if ya gotta wear one you might as well make it a good one.

Kinda like shittin in the woods, you don't pick up crumbly leaves, you always make sure they're the best you can find when a lack of quality can become immediately apparent.


I'm leaning towards another HJC CS-2N as my 'best bang for my buck' replacement.
http://www.hjc-helmets.com/product/SUL408141-ATT.html
I haven't found anything else that would do what I want for less, or that would do that much better for more.
It saved my skull this time and since it's a half helmet, I get to see and hear almost like being without one and along with being white, the vents keep my brains from boiling in the North Carolina oven days.




Max

I can't tell you about painting your helmet, but your reason for painting it does concern me a bit.

If it's been damaged enough to require repair and painting, it may be damaged enough to have ruined the integrity of the shell. The interior foam cushions your head and brains, but the shell keeps that protection there. If it's damaged, it could shatter at first impact. That's why they all come with a warning to replace them if they are dropped.

Like Davej said, we've all dropped our helmets, but how much has it been damaged? I'm just saying; be careful.

Ratl.

Some good shops have a tester for helmets. Have it tested before you waist any time or effort on it, you might be glad you did.

I've never dropped my full face straight on to the ground, I normally end up giving it a kick or shove as it's about to hit and then it rolls off my foot or leg. I have had to replace the face shield twice because I scratched it.

Actually I have read somewhere, and when my over 50 brain gets up to speed I will remember where, that if you drop a polycarbonate shell over 3 feet or a fiberglass shell over 2 feet it should be inspected whether damage is visible or not. The issue is that the impact deforms the shell and it looses elasticity at the impact point and the next time you may not get the protection you need. If it hit hard enough to mess up the clear coat I would suggest sending it back to the manufacturer for evaluation. Most manufacturers will test the shell for damage.
When painting sand carefully as you do not want to damage the shell and make sure your materials are compatible with the base material i.e. polycarboante or fiberglass so you do not cause a negative reaction with the base material and inadvertantly weaken the shell. JMHO

There was an article I think in Motorcyclist a few years back on this very subject. It was when the Z1 brand came out. They tested helmets after surprisingly short drop and some helmets were weakened. Also surprising was the fact the some of the pretty expensive helmets didn't fair any better in the testing. I admit I don't often think about it that much. I have three helmets: beanie, open face and fullface and choose based on destination and weather. Maybe that's dumb but that's what I do. At almost 60 I grew up in a time/state where helmets were optional. And I have re-painted many helmets usually to match my latest bike.